Elektron Octatrack Tips & Tricks - Episode 2 - MIDI Learn
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 พ.ค. 2014
- Elektron Octatrack tutorials, Tips and tricks. EPISODE 2.
When I discovered this technique I was amazed, I wanted to build a MIDI learn module with Arduino for ages, then I realize the Octatrack is capable of such a thing, in a very easy and fast way.
This is a powerful technique for controlling external gear, automate and use the OT as the main center piece of a live setup... think of it as automations on a DAW!
For more info in the sounds used for this video, please visit my web and download them for free. www.inspektorgadjet.com
Hope you enjoy it!. - เพลง
Пол года искал и вот наконец то самое годно видео про октатрек. Многие хороши, но это в точку. Сенк ю
I´m glad to read that!! Yeah I changed a bit my channel so maybe is harder for people to find them, glad you did!!
No longer intimidated by my Octatrak. This was a very useful vid - inspirational. Cheers.
Make sure to subscribe! Planing a new set of very useful videos on the Octatrack.
Thank you Mr Inspektor Gadjet. Your tutorials are a gem.
Thanks a lot for your words! Hope to be uploading more videos soon! :)
Keep the Tutorials coming, they are the best out there!
Hey man, thanks! sure I will... I hope to start making new ones very soon! :)
Merry Christmas 🎄 and hope the New-year brings in more tutorials and the best videos.
Thank you for all your hard work to give us the best teachings. 🎄
Wow, thanks a lot and Merry Christmas to you too! and yeah, hopefully 2019 will bring me some stabillity and lots of tutorials for you guys!! Best!
I'll echo everyone's sentiments here and thank you so much for your Octatrack videos. They are the most helpful I have found yet on the internet. Absolutely awesome!!! Still having trouble with the MIDI learn but still very useful to me.
+John Arienda-Jose Hi Jose thanks for your words :) Will try to get on some new tutorials soon, thanks for the support! Regarding the MIDI learn, get the manual and follow the video a few times, its easy to miss something... also knowing the behaviour of your external synth can save you lots of frustation, hope you get it working all soon!
Amazing. Thanks for your videos, I'm quite close to buying an octatrack and your videos have been really valuable in learning some advanced features!
I´m glad to hear that!! cheers! :)
I am inexperienced with MIDI so I have been reading the manual over and over trying to understand how to implement it on my OT and my JD-Xi synth. This is BY FAR the best MIDI video for the OT.
Hello stylerstone, thanks for your words, very hppy to read you have found this video that helpful :) Enjoy!
Haha, that's fantastic, so easy! Good to know... still always picking up new tricks for the OT. Thanks for sharing and great video, really well presented. :D
11brassmonkey11 Thanks for that! and glad this trick was usefull :) Cheers!
i am thinking about getting an octatrack, after watching your videos i have made my decision to get one for sure. very good tutorial.
Thats awsome to read! glad to see it inspires people. I hope elktron is reading lolol, Id love to demo more boxes xD
Thanks for this awesome video.
You have saved me so much time. Keep those videos coming.
Cheers jono
Glad it helped man! Cheeers!
I have been watching your videos and the help I get from them is enabling me so much more from any others! I was wondering if you might do a follow up on/more elaborate video on scenes? The video you did on controlling an external synth via midi was the first video that actually help and I was able to follow and execute to have the desired results! So thanks for the help and keep on keepin on!
+Donald Lykins Hey man thanks for your words... it really meants to me a lot. Ive been very busy lately but soon I will start puuting viodeo demos together again, so yeah soon will be more octatrack videos and free content ;) Cheers and thanks again!
Thanks for putting this together.. very helpful
Hey I´m glad it was helpfull for you! all the best!
Hi, I am so close to buying one of these. I have A Virus TI also, and seeing how they can work quite well together. This has just about sold me on this. Thanks for the video :)
+orgoneheart Hello and happy to hear that this video has inspired you :)... The OT definitely beats many other machines with its unique concept, for some quite limited, but for others a huge tool in which get lost... definitely a very versatile machine for very differnet scenarios.
Good luck!
Wow - I am a new user and didn't even know this was possible. I hate double checking midi charts. Thanks.
Hello Matt, I'm glad you found it useful, sure MIDI Charts are a pain and not really good for creativity workflow, this technique was surely hidden in the manual but glad bringing it here helps users!! Enjoy!
amazing video this has really pond my eyes !!
Glad it helped!
Very Cool Stuff, the midi functions on the Octatrack creates a completely different universe. The Octatrack is so deep.
I forgot to say, you've got some way cool stuff going on here!
Thanks for posting
Glad it helped and you liked the viedo! deffinitely a beast when you dig deep in to the dark corners of the manual :) Hopefully some more cool videos coming soon... stay tuned and enjoy!
BTW, I ove your work...cool stuff!
@@howardanderson3061 Thanks a lot man! it does motivates :) All the best!
Thank You for making this, very helpful
+octokrome You are welcome! :)
I would love to see more of these videos sir!
Hi! and thanks for the interest! I´m happy to say that finally after a couple of extreme years, I´m back to my studio with some time... I´m already preparing all video related stuff and scripting a few new OT tutorials so yeah, I hope to be posting new videos soon! Cheers!
I setup two external synthesizers, a Korg Volca and an Elektron Analog 4 MK2 to my Elektron Octatrack MK2 with the purpose to have the Octatrack act as master control device.
The configuration:
Elektron Analog 4 MK2 uses MIDI channels 1-4
Korg Volca uses MIDI Channel 16
Setup Process:
1. I setup THRU machines on T1-T4 for the Elektron Analog 4 MK2.
2. I setup THRU machine on T5 for the Korg Volca to use for playback and sequencing.
3. In the Octatrack, I configured MIDI channels to use these mappings for the two external devices.
4. I set audio for T1-T4 to use incoming C+D which is what the Analog 4 is connected to.
5. I set audio for T5 to incoming A for the Korg Volca
The issue I have is that I cannot playback the Elektron only on T1-T4. The Korg also plays at same time.
I also have vice versa issue in that on T5, when I play the sequencer, the Analog 4 plays at same time as the Korg!
How can I fix this issue so that on T1-T4, I can create MIDI and audio trigs and sequence only the Analog 4 playback without manually stopping the Korg? Also, how can I setup T5 for just the Korg so that I can create sequence on the Octatrack to playback the pattern I want for the Korg without the Analog 4 playback?
Below is a video of my setup thus far:
th-cam.com/video/UXa_exUMUVE/w-d-xo.html
Hello! wow what a detailed question :)
Well I don't own any Volcas and neither the Analog 4 so cannot help you much. Regarding the Volca stopping or playing other sequences I guess you have to tell the Volca to only listen to one track.
Regarding the Octatrack, Thru tracks only receieve audio and you can trigger effects and other things, in order to play MIDI sequences like you say, you have to use the separate MIDI tracks, no way to control MIDI and Audio from the same track.
Hope it helps!
Great tutorial thanks!
Glad you like it James!!
joder, que novedad.
mira que lo había pensado en el midi learn...
muchas gracias esto ayuda mucho a seguir maleando
Hey Javi me alegro que te haya servido! la verdad que si es de esas cosas que no se les da mucha importancia en el manual, y casi pasan desapercibidas :)
A seguir maleando pues ;)
this is awesome man
Glad you like it!
awesome. thank *YOU* to infinity... long live the octatrack =)
you are welcome
Brilliant work
jamie munro Thanks Jamie!
Perfecto, me encanta la introducción
hahaha ahi! te he hecho caso! :) siguiendo tu consejo a partir de ahora todos con su pequeña introduccion.
Thanks for this!
You are welcome!
Couldnt figure out where I was going wrong with my octatrack sending CC to my Nord. Thanks a million
SHELLAC85 Hey, glad it helped :)... Actually I use a Nord Micro Modular a lot with the OT. Works great together, have fun!
thank you for this great tuto
Glad it helped!
very nice tutorial mate
:) Boom! glad you enjoyed it!
Great Tutorial
+Dieter Herten “Dayflight” Thanks!
Very good!
:)
very cool! thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
Still useful, thanks!
Really glad to read that!!
Great vids..cheers. Im past the initial hurdles with the OT. Id love to see you doing a tutorial for good break beat/jungle-ish type beats..im getting thee though.
Hi thanks for the words, ill be putting some tutorial soon, will think on adding some stuff about how I organize some crazy drums in the OT 😀
great tutorial thanks
I´m glad you like it!! very soon more! :)
Thank you very much!!!
Hello Mariusz glad was useful! :)
Great, thanks
You are welcome!
How did you learn this? This has just opened the bonnet even more. Thank you my friend :)
lol glad you find it usefull, I just read the manual like a compulsive motherfunker and when I found it, read it 12 times again and amazed decided to make a turorial xD peace out!
incredibly helpful i finally got my Octa and Virus C talking. after lots of head scratching.
Hi glad it was helpful. this is a great combo :)
+Inspektor Gadjet for some reason midi cc learn isn't working now (yes i have RTFM!) can you give me any tips many thanks
david goodman
Hi, if its been working before, check cables, midi routing etc. Make sure you set the virus in Multi or SEQ mode. Make sure MIDI is OT Out to Virus In, Virus Out to OT In.
It works straight away for me. Not even worrying with global channel. Make sure you allow MIDI incoming notes and CCs in the OT MIDI Settings.
+Inspektor Gadjet well I managed to get it to work but it means I have to set the global channel of the OT to the channel i'm trying to CC learn, I'm in Multi single mode yes. its ok as each OT channel allows me to make changes but its quite long winded. any other ideas? appreciate it man.
david goodman
Hi, I think that after setting the omni channels correctly, each channel should responde to the correct MIDI channel on the other device. Would have to check again cause each time I use it it works out of the box, try setting the virus to OMNI instead of a fixed MIDI channel, not sure if that would help but surely works for me without changing channels constantly.
Werd what a time saver!
Nice one, glad to hear it helps!!
the sound is extremly clear, never heard so much change in cut off....
Hey could you elaborate a bit more? Not sure what you mean by “so much change in cut off”?
sweet!! Thanks heaps!!!
Glad it helped ;)
so dope to control a knob with a totally different knob
Hi, I think you miss the point here... The Virus TI i packed with knobs, the Virus Snow is not to put an example, this lets u control hidden parmeters in any synth... other than that is mainly to step sequence Midi values, not to control an already existing knob.
even if the vid is 3yo, THX a lot for your effort. i have the same setup here and enjoy itnso much more due to your tips!!!
Hey thanks a lot for the comment! it always helps even if its 3yo :) I hope to put some more tuts soon!
Hi there, me once again ;-) Somewhere, I messed up a little. If I turn the Amp Env Attack on my TI, the OT behaves like crazy... Starts, Stops or changes Channels up and down... any idea where to start digging? It only happens on MIDI channels 1-8 though.
Hi, check if the main MIDI channel for each device is not set to the same one, not sure how it was called but that could create clahses... see if that helps, or it could be a "bug"... Best scenario would be to test with a friend owner of another Virus... But since the Virus Will be "slave" of the OT Tempo allways, make sure to set the OT to not recieve transport info, which is start stop and so. Hope it helps!!
Inspektor Gadjet i solved it. problem was a setting in the OT, Note In in the midi settings needed to be disabled. the OT corresponds to CC59 which is the CC of the virus' amp envelope attack.
Nice one!! glad you fixed it, hopefully it may help somebody that gets stuck with the same behaviour. Enjoy the combo now!! Cheers! :)
Thanks for the amazing tutorial. I have the same set up except with a MKII OT and I'm pumped to get into some more advanced MIDI control. Just what I needed. I wonder if they updated the ability to modulate the CC controls with the fader between scenes with the MKII...
Hello! Glad you enjoyed the tutorials, as far as I know they never updated that feature… I really wished they did. All the updates were mostly bug fixes but nothing extra.
I love the look of the MKII, specially the black ones… but unfortunately there aren’t enough improvements from the original one to justify the expense… and besides that, I’m not 100% sure if the hardware is as robust. I have played with mine all over Europe, and is still a reliable solid piece of hardware.
very nice
tHANKS!
barrriation of churd. beautiful. ty brother
Not really fully understand what you mean but I hope it was useful!
Nooooorrrrrr...hahahahaha! what a nice spanish detail my fried!!! Very good tutorial, thanks so much!
Lolol I´m glad you like it and noticed that "Chiquito" touch, it really came out naturally :) Glad the tutorial was helpfull!
NOOO that makes it so much easier. I feel like an idiot now trawling through various manuals in order to get CC numbers.
ahahahaha I think not just you, I also felt like, what?? how did I miss this on the manual or didnt heard before! Is such a great functionallity... Glad it helped!
Very helpful video, thanks... with the midi sequencer, can you save chords/polyphonic sequences?
Hello Alberto, you mean with the Octatrack MIDI Tracks? If I remeber correctly yes you can record chords of three or four notes with the octatrack, not sure right now. Probably best way is using the Octatrack Chromatic Mode, or an external controller/keyboard. Hope it helps!
Yes it does! So it does matter on the synth/instrument you are sending midi to.
+Donald Lykins Yes it does matter. Aswell the Virus TI specially is quite a complete unit, with lots of individual effects per track, plus independent reverb and delay... pretty much the sounds can be tweaked and leave them 95% ready... Probably the WaldorfBlofeld and other multitimbral synths will play nicely with the octatrack...
Thx, is it possible for you to make OT tutorial about Samples, Pattern and parts and how to organise it for a complete song? Especially the change of samples.
+Dieter “Dayflight” Herten I wanted to do a parts and samples tutorials at some point, also about how to organize more complex or elaborate songs/sets... Please remember it to me again soon as I hardly have time these days but find inspiration many weekends... who knows :) cheers! Julian
THANKS 1000 TIMES. Best vidéo in this kind.
have u putted the midi out from OT to virus and same from virus to ot? To control the crossfader with midi cc on the virus?
Cheers
Fr3ee Hi, glad to hear you liked the video. Yeah the OT output goes to the Virus IN, the Virus Out to the OT IN. Crossfader and scenes cannot be assigned with MIDI CC. However you could try to cotrol the LFOs with the crossfader... and assign the LFO to the MIDI CC values... never tryed it so have a look and les us know!!
Cheers,
Julian
Great video! I'm having trouble controlling the effects of my EMX-1 with the Octatrack MIDI.... any suggestions?
Hey SinThetic, not sure about those settings in particular. Check the MIDI Setup page and set the Send and recieve clock and transport On, makes sure you check the EMX1 settings too... It should be pretty straight forward.
Good luck!
Hey man, thx for that great tutorial!
One big noob question about the virus: Why is it possible to play different sound pre-sets at the same time? Is that some kind of a multilayer synth? I don?t know the corrent expresions, sorry :(
+Brad Pittbull Hi Brad, you are welcome ;)
The Virus TI its a 16 part multitimbral synth, so it can generate up to 16 "pre-sets" at the same time. It´s like having 16 synths in one... allthough you can run out of polyphony really easy this way.
excellent video appreciate the effort putting this together. currently setting up a few external synths to some midi channels on OT for the first time. i see the level indicator change a few times to "main" during video. what exactly makes that change happen?
Hi Scott glad you like it! Not sure what you mean by "the level indicator change" can you tell me the minute it occurs? can´t remember by memory :)
Cheers!
Inspektor Gadjet it happens at the 6 minute mark. It looks like the level indicator changes showing bar about half way up. Also another question if you don’t mind ...for this to work properly does midi chain have to go back into OT midi in?
Thanks for your help.
Aha Ok you meant that... While pressing function, the Level indicator has a second behaviour like many things in OT... the Level fader becomes a MAIN or Master fader, I guess within the MIDI tracks, but same happends in the Audio tracks if I can remeber correctly.
You are correct, both MIDI IN and OUT of the OT has to be connected to IN and OUT of whatever synth is connected to, otherwise there is no communication in both directions.
Hope it helps!
Cheers.
Julian
Will it record the knob movement in live record mode if you do it from the synth side as well or only from the octatrack end?
Hi, I havent tryed myself but i dont see why no. It all depends what Midi settings you have, but same than you can record notes you can record CC messages, so my guess is yes you can. Hope it helps!
Hi, do you know how to record a midi sequence from the octatrack into the analog 4 or RYTM into their internal sequencer? (not playback from Octatrac) From you other vids it looked like you use the octatrack also live aswell? (vid was a bit dark from the freq of nature)
Hi, I dont own an A4 or Rytm, so I cant help you there, it should be pretty easy to do.
You are correct, I use the Octatrack in all my live sets... The Freqs Of Nature Video is one of the best looking ones... you can clearly see an Octatrack, a Nord Modular and a Quneo.
Hope it helps. and good luck with your MIDI Recording.
Now the octatrack is a custom midi controller, wonderful
Glad that this is of help for you! Enjoy!
at one point in the video you mention that the Octatrack didn't have the ability to assign the CC knobs changes to use with the crossfader. has there since been an update to allow that function?
Unfortunately no. 😭
damn. I'm looking into the Squarp Pyramid as it seems like a more capable MIDI sequencer compared to the OT. though I do wish Elektron would bring a dedicated sequencer to the table...
Well for sure the OT is very limited at first. I also struggled a lot before buying it cause it just seemed very limited, but its definitely a beast on its own, the limitation becomes a clear weapon in this design, but like many other things, it may not be the right tool for you... I wish they made some more updates, but please no OT2 soon xD
Long shot throwing this out there, but can anyone tell me if this is possible with the Virus B? I don't think the B is sending the mods message for the OT to pickup
Hello and sorry for the delay many times I don’t see notifications. The best thing would be to first check the virus b manual to see the MIDI implementation chart and also using something like MIDI OX to check MIDI traffic that way you can make sure the virus is sending data.
If it is sending then it is a matter of adjusting the MIDI settings on both OT and Virus so they can communicate. Important also is to have MIDI going to Virus and viceversa.
Hope it helps!
for midi learn do you need to have a midi cable form midi out fo your synth to the midi in of your octatrack? or can the octratrack learn midi just with the midi out of octratrak to midi in of synth cable plugged?
My question exactly… why every question has a reply except for this one?! Lol I was going through the comments looking for this!!
At the end I Noticed that you can’t get it working unless you lock the midi chain directly from your device you wish to midi learn. For example midi out from your octatrack to your device you wish to learn and them midi out from the device back to the midi in of octatrack. You can not use thru out in your midi device you wanted to learn, it has to be midi so it works just for small setups
Sorry guys I couldn’t see all comments until recently. I will answer below but yes, as stated at the e beginning of the video the connection is bidirectional.
Hello, MIDI is a one direction cable, so if you want two machines to communicate with each other you need both MIDI OUT and MIDI IN connected to each other (OT MIDI OUT to synth MIDI IN - MIDI OUT from synth to OT MIDI IN)). However is not for small setups, using MIDI THRU and MIDI Splitters, you can use this in a much larger setup, also for example in a live situation, you are not going to be mapping MIDI messages live, so this setup is intended to make use of the powerful OT sequencer to control external synths, once mapped you could undo the connections.
MIDI THRU cannot be used since that is a mirror of the MIDI IN, it it basically intended to Daisy chain several machines, all though some actually “merge” the knob values with the IN signal, something to check in their manuals.
I have used mine with 4 external synths, OT-MIDI thru box (4outs) and then from the 4 external Syrnhs, 4MIDI signals merged using a MIDI merge box back in to the OT.
Hope it helps!
I have another question about the midi channels in this video. You have 9-12 channels and multiple channels signaling different midi signals to the TI. Is that a function solely equipment specific? (So the Virus TI is capable of accepting multiple spirit midi signals?)
+Donald Lykins Hello Donald. Not sure if I understand you correctly... The MIDI Protocol has 16 Channels in one MIDI cable lets say. The Virus TI is actually 16 part multitimbral synth, so yeah its capable of using the whole amount of Channels within a MIDI cable. That means tha one single cable coming to the Virus TI MIDI Input is capable of running 16 different channels or sounds simultaneously. In this particular example there are only 8 because the Ocatrack only has 8 MIDI tracks. Hope it makes sense!
midi tracks 1 to 8 on ot will interfere with the midi on the audio tracks. the midi learn didnt work for me till i started using 9 to 16 for external gear
So figured out why this wouldn't work for me: the midi and audio channels were clashing. since midi ch 1-8 are used by the audio track, choosing tracks o and up for midi did the trick. Thanks Multiman!
You are welcome bro!! nice one... now enjoy it!! :)
do you need midi in and out to the external gear for this to work?
Hey Gegeg, yes, sorry if is not clear I avoided the MIDI setting info as it was quite obvious to me... You plug MIDI out of the OT in to the MIDI in of the external machine.... then you plug the MIDI Output of your external machine in to the OT MIDI input. Set the Omni channel of your device to the same in the OT and you are good to go.
Taking the Virus as an example, the Virus TI is 16 parts multitimbral, so each of the 16 channels respond to a MIDI channel, Ch1 on the Virus responds and sends to MIDI channel 1 and so on... In the Octatrack MIDI page you can set each of the 8 MIDI Tracks to send and recieve MIDI on any channel, specified in the PLAYBACK Page...
Hope it helps!!
cant seem to get this to work, are you running the midi out and then back in again?
Hi Patrick, yes MIDI goes Out from OT in to IN of Virus, and Virus MIDI Out goes in to OT MIDI IN, if you still have issues make sure to check the comments, some users had problems and finally made it work, the MIDI mode may affect, try using SEQ Mode in the virus instead of MULTI. Hope it helps!
hola inspector muy bueno el tutorial , sos un genio. tengo una duda yo tengo un octakontrol es el controlador con faders para octatrack , mi conexión es esta. Octakontrol Midi OUT a Octatrack Midi In . OT Midi out a Machinedrum Midi In . MD midi thru a Analogue 4 Midi In . e leido mas abajo que la conexión para usar una maquina externa es OT MIDI OUT A External Gear Midi IN . External Gear Midi OUT a OT Midi IN . Yo desde ya tengo mi MIDI in de la OT en uso con el oktakontrol. Necesito una patchera midi si o si ?
Leo pz Que tal! Te conteste en otro mail creo. Si necesitas conectar el OT con el oktacontrol ademas de otros sintes externos para seguir teniendo la opcion MIDI Learn, la respuesta es si. Necesitaras lo que se llama un "MIDI Merge".
Dude, I learn something new every time I watch this.. And this track is so nice, I can't find any of ur music/performance with this vibe, did u make anything this "foresty" thats available for the masses?
Watched this video multiple times to understand, cuz my synth was in wrong global midi settings and I didn't understand whats wrong.
Even tho I didn't get it right for a long time, I always learnt something I could use, and now that I´ve worked out the midi settings this learnt me multichannel midi tracks on OT and how to make nice minimal music.
Cheers and hope I come by u on some event or can calm a hot crowd with something u make thats like this
Hello Freddy and thanks for your words!
I'm glad you refer back to the tutorials and learn something else, I will be making more tutorials for the OT asap.
This track was totally improvised for the tutorial and never released anything in that tempo. I want to make some experimental stuff with my inspektor gadjet project which is more ambient and experimental... but where does the time goes!
Hope to meet you too at some event and for the calming down of masses, please consider subscribing to my facebook page and this channel where I will promote any new music experiment/project.
All the best and again thanks for the kind comment.
Cheers,
Julian
Still wishing for that midi scene support!
I know! lol but I have the feeling we will never have it at least not in the MKI or MKII...
@@MULTIMAN-MUSIC Yeah, it seems that way, huh? I didn't realize it didn't work until recently and got all hyped on upping my game with transitions during live sets using external gear (bought a Typhon), but then was heart broken. :)
Gracias por el tutorial!! Tengo un setup igual pero En mi caso solo me reconoce MIDI LEARN cuando estoy en la pista midi 1 del virus, es decir cuando trato de que reciba en la pista midi 2 no responde la octatrack. Alguna idea de por que puede ser?? Muchas gracias!
iñigo medina murua Hola Iñigo. El Virus TI tiene 4 modos de funcionamiento. SINGLE, MULTI, SEQ y USB.
En single ( que es el modo por defecto) el sinte solo funciona con 1 parte, no se si podria estar relacionado con esto. Puedes cambiar los modos en los botones que se encuentran justo a la dcha de la pantalla LCD.
Como ves en mi video utilizo varios sonidos del Virus en varios canales del OT... osea que el modo multitimbrico funciona sin problemas.
Espero te ayude!
Un saludo!
***** Muchas Gracias!! Se me olvidó comentarte que mi virus es el "B". Estoy en modo MULTI-SINGLE, donde también uso varias pistas simultaneamente.
iñigo medina murua
Pues la verdad ni idea entonces. Prueba a cambiar el canal "MIDI Gloabl" tanto en el Virus como en el OT. Quizas asi te lo reconozca, buena suerte!
I would assume that the OT must have the Midi IN & OUT connected with the corresponding devices that are utilizing MIDI CC LEARN.
otherwise if there is not both IN & OUT connected it wont work.
Of course!
MIDI seems quite complex for some people, but it really is simple. MIDI is NOT bidirectional, so you need both MIDI IN and OUT connected to the desired unit you want to control. Alternative there are MIDI THRU and Splitter boxes which allow you to interconnect more gear.
Hope it helps!
my midi in is taken by a usb to midi launchcontrol xl, but the solution is a midi merge box by kenton
Yeah MIDI merge and THRU boxes are some of the best Things for OTB or simply complex MIDI setups, “DTronics” use to make some cool and quite small ones and also “MIDI solutions” which is the brand I use mostly, their MIDI THRU box is powered via MIDI so no power supply or more wires needed.
hey man, so I got my bs2 and system 1 connected to octatrack via midi and they are both working fine so am able to set trigs but for some reason I can't get the cc to work for either of them?!? I've followed all the necessary steps but still nothing.. I get to the midi learn pop up but it's like the octatrack is not hearing the changes or is it these particular synths? I'm stumped. I don't understand while there is obviously midi being sent and received why it's not working.. any idea?
Show less
REPLY
Hi, if both BS2 and system 1 can send-recieve MIDI CC (which Im sure they do) it has to be a matter of setting correctly your MIDI Settings page in the OT.
First of all, make sure to read-check the manuals for BS2 and System1, check MIDI settings just in case they are set to only recieve MIDI notes.
If all of that is OK, then go to the OT and make sure you check both CONTROL/MIDI SEQUENCER, and also check MIDI SETTINGS / CONTROL. There you can adjust what messages are heard or sent from the OT.
Also, make sure the OT is sending anr also recceiving MIDI, and both BS2 and System1 are also not only receiving but also sending (the need 2 cables , IN and OUT).
Hope it helps!
thanks for the reply :) I didn't activate the cc's on page one initially, I've done so now and am able to change parameters on some of the knobs but the learn function is still not responding. I'm unable to choose which parameters I want to change but filter cutoff and res are available so it's enough to get me started. I think it must be my midi routing, I only have midi receiving on my synths, I only have a midi splitter for now, I will have to get a through box.. I knew this time would come! thx again, good tutorials
Glad it works, make sure to check the MIDI Implementation chart for BS2 and System 1, there you can see MIDI CCs are availableto use, and what value is assigned to different knobs/parameters of your el gear.
One thing you can try is, connect OT MIDI out to synth1 MIDI IN, then connect Synth1 MIDI THRU to Synth2 MIDI IN, that way you can send MIDI from OT to the two synths, problem is you can only send back MIDI fone synth to the OT IN, which is what gives you MIDI Learn capability.
Yeah a MIDI through box is a must! very handy while using complex MIDI routings... Have fun!!
no worries, thanks for the advice :)
Hi Inspektor Gadjet. Could you tell me what midi settings you have on both Virus and Octatrack in order to play in multimode ? Thanks in advance :)
Hi, I set the virus in SEQ mode by pressing "MULTI" and "SINGLE" at the same time. Then it reacts to channels MIDI channels 1-16. The OT then can send MIDI from channels 1-16 from the MIDI tracks, as usual... it works pretty well , hope it helps!!
***** My Virus just doesn't want to play. If not in grid mode trigs 1 to 8 initiate sounds played from Virus but when I press the play button on the octatrack the pattern doesn't play and next to the MIDI track there is an X sign. I wonder if it has something to do with the global channel or auto channel on the octatrack, something is wrong with my settings. Maybe I'm not patient because I bought my OT 3 days ago. Thank you for helping me.
alexeyyy3000
Hi, maybe... YES! if you just had you OT for 3 days, make sure you read the manual several times, find the MIDI settings and go trough step by step. The auto Channel on the OT allows you to control certain parametters of the OT global settings so this shouldnt be an isssue, unless you want to control the OT with the Virus.
On the MIDI pages of the OT, make sure TRACK MIDI 1 is set to MIDI Ch 1, TRACK 2 to CH MIDI 2 and so on... Make sure you set the Sync Out too so the arpegiators and time based effects on the Virus get syned to the OT...
It definitely works, so it must be some of your settings... If you get stuck just start a new project following all the steps on the manual. Try SINGLE and MULTO on the Virus too untill you get sound...
Hope it helps!
***** You are the best!!! :) I figured out what I was doing wrong.
alexeyyy3000 I´m glad to hear that! :) enjoy!
can you send different midi channel to just one synth so that It can play different paches ?
Hi Dekalboy, What do you mean... sending different MIDI channels from one MIDI Track? If so, no. the octatrack doesnt let you p-lock different MIDI channels within 1 MIDI Track. However you might be able to do so with PARTS, not sure check the manual for those options...
If what you mean is the other way around... Let say use 4 MIDI tracks, to play the same external synth... with different Program Changes... for sure is possible...
Good luck!
i believe you mean to ask if it can send program change messages on seperate midi channels to trigger different patches on different machines. answer is yes. each of the 8 midi tracks on the octa track can send their own program changes
2bitTank i've been trying to crack this one. virus patch changes via p.locks. to no avail... how diid you manage this?
Hello, I dont know why I dont get notifications some times!! Anyway, for sure you can, but no with p/locks... You can however control/send program changes from the MIDI tracks, just where you choose the MIDI channel, you have Bank and Patches, it only launches the Program change at the begining of the pattern. Ive been using this with the Nord Modular and works a treat... Hope it helps!!
Is they two machines only connected with MIDI or is the audio going into the OT as well
Great video but the question is : how you set up the midi controls on OT and the midi controls in the synth? Same for cc, there is a special set up that you need in the synth or ot work with all synth.. Because i tried 1000 times but it doesn't work and i saw on internet that this is a real problem.. Please give me a solution, i set my OT right in the midi setup, i can send cc but i have to decide the number from the OT and not from my synth, i ve a tr 8, it work with the cc, but when i try with midi learn it doesn't respond and the OT doesn't learn nothing.
So what s wrong?
Hello Pietro, you have to understand I'm not sponsored by Elektron and I don't get anything in return for this, so "please give me a solution"... is not the way to approach me. This trick/feature works like you can see in the comments from users... you must be doing something wrong.
I'm sure you didn't try 1000 times, and you saw on the internet this is a real problem?? Just be patient, the info is in the manual anyway... Still... I will try to help you fix the issue.
Without looking at your devices, it seems like you are sending MIDI from OT to TR8, but not sending MIDI from TR8 to OT, this means both MIDI IN and OUT have to be connected between both machines. There is no special setup that is not described in the video itself, once you press midi learn and turn any controller in the TR8 the OT should show the MIDI command has been learned... As simple as that.
Again this is not a magic trick I invented or came up with, is in the manual of the Octatrack... I have personally read the manual 3 times, and refer to it several times, have you actually found the MIDI learn function in the manual? Other than that, if you run in to any more issues problems try asking support.
If you actually manage to fix it, please write back here so it may help other users with your same issue.
Hope it helps.
Best,
Julian
Inspektor Gadjet sorry Julian i didn't want to be rude, i m only desperate because really i tried 1000 times but it doesent work, same with the nordrack2 that is a clavia like virus c.. Maybe it work only with virus or particular synth.. I send midi out and midi in from ot to tr 8 and back, still not work, here s a link where my problem is explain www.elektronauts.com/t/midi-cc-learn/3249.... Really this video is a bomb and i m desperate cause i can t do that ahha. Thanks for all man
Hello Pietro, apologies accepted, it definetely works with other synths. I'm thinking about what it could be your issue is sometimes refered as Soft Thru, or MIDI thru. What this means is that, for example if you turn the Cut Off Knob in your synth, it will control the CutOff of the internal synth filter, but not send the MIDI value assigned to it thru the MIDI out port, this is to avoid MIDI loops, where the Value gets send and received with some delay creating weird behaviours and sometimes make the machines to crash.
Try checking your MIDI settings in TR8 to see if there is anything like that. Something that helps is having some sort of MIDI software like MIDIOX to analize what is being sent or received from and by your machines. Check also the Global Channel in the OT and TR8 in case is not setup correctly.
Ultimately, you may find one of your cables is not working correctly, that is easy to check with software like MIDIOX.
Hope you get it working!!
Best,
Julian
Inspektor Gadjet i re tried with tr 8, it work but yes the machine makes a crashing sound.. Now i check again with your new information! Thanks again man
Inspektor Gadjet ok i disabilited the midi thru on tr 8 and all works well!! Now the problem is with shruthi!! Ahah
hi, nice video, i understood alone the cc message potential BUT, this tips to press the knob and just turn the knob of the synthetiser to get the right cc message is absolutely demential. just a question i've got a virus tI 2; how did you manage to play three sounds by three diffrerents channels on the octatrack with your virus ?
Hello! and glad you find it useful!
I dont remember doing anything very rare, in the MIDI channels of the OT, you set the "Note" page "CHAN" parameter to control tracks 1-8 of the Virus... so track MIDI 1 of the OT, is set to "CHAN 1" so it sends MIDI to the Virus on Channel 1 and the same process for adding as many as yo want... with a maximum of 8 Channels.
Regarding the Virus is just set to "SEQ" Mode, which is entered by presing the "Single" and "Multi" buttons together (right hand side of the LCD). In that mode the Virus listen to Channels 1 to 16. There may be some MIDI settings in both machines to allow or deny MIDI comunication but it shouldnt give many problems...
If you still having problems let me know and I may put together a small video since a few people have asked the same thing.
Hope it helps!
Cheers!
hi, thanx for the answer. i discovered myself the manipulation on the virus in digging the manual ! it's exactly the same on virus TI (yours) and virus TI2. It's really really powerful, especially because you can parameter-locks the cc message !! only one regret, no "SCENES" on midi mode !
by the way, do you know how to connect 2-4 synthetizers on the OT ?
regards !
oh i forgot, your ultra-tip, (press FUNC+ the knob then press cutoff knob on the virus do directly got the CC message required doesn't work while my OT is configured to receive CC connect...so i don't get it...
Hi you can connect more than one synth by cascading the MIDI using the THRU conector in some synths... if you dont have that option try using a MIDI THRU box, many manufacturers around, is a simple box that multiplies 1 MIDI signal in to 4 or so.
Hope it helps!
Hi, What is CC connect? yout OT should recieve the MIDI command from the Virus and do an automatic MIDI Learn. Hope it helps!
could i do this with my system1 from roland?
Hello, make sure you see the full video and check your system 1 manual for MIDI settings. I don't have any experience with that device, but if it sends midi it shouldn't be much different, hope it helps!
i found it yesterday my system 1 midi settings was the problem thanks for the reply and awesome video!
Glad u found a solution and you enjoyed the video!
trying to do the same with my sys 1. what was your solution you found?
nick vanthomme I have SYS 1 and am having problem with auto learn cc’s. How did you get yours to work?
Que firmware estas usando ahi? el mas nuevo?
SI el ultimo saludos!
***** Genial, tengo mi Octa desde hace unos dias, aun acostumbrandome a la arquitectura de banks patterns partes que es lo que mas me disgusta de Elektron, pero todo lo demas de la Octa es buenisimo. La estoy usando con un Virus A y gracias a tu video pude mapear parametros. Felicitaciones por los tutoriales!
cooptrol
Hey! me alegro mucho de que sea de utilidad, es cuestion de tiempo pero la al final es la magia de las maquinas, cada una con sus menus y workflows...
Gracias por tus palabras!
I have a Virus TI, I have made up my mind, I want an Octatrack ;)
I'm over sitting at the laptop
Hi John, glad it inspires you :) actually the virus TI is one of the best friends I know for the Octatrack, and yes getting away from the compputer helps a lot to concentrate creating. Cheers!
It doesn't work at all for me I must do something wrong but I clearly don't understand what.
My A4 and AR are connected to the OT, midi channels from tracks 1 / 4 on the A4 are the same than the 4 first midi tracks of the OT, and nothing actually works. I try to find CCs messages, but nothing can be found when I turn knobs, and when I do it manually with the A4 manual as reference (to have midi CCs) it doens't work either.
Could someone give a little help ?
What are the midi parameters I have to activate or not on both the OT and the A4?
Thank you, best regards :)
Hi, I know its a bit slow but you should check other peoples messages, many had issues too and ended up finding out why, I personally dont own an A4 so I can help much there.
What I can say is that you need both MIDI IN and OUT going from the OT to whatever machine u use. But if you use more than one, like AR and A4, then u need MIDI Thru box and probably a MIDI Merge too, my video explanation is only connecting two machines, OT and Virus.
Hope it helps!
Hello, thanks for your answer, I found out what the problem was.
It was still discovery time.
Thank you
Hey, Im glad you found out what was wrong, maybe you could post what your issue was in case somebody finds themselves with the same issue.
Cheers!
boss
:)
how the fk did you learn this shit? Gawd damn
Reading the manual!! lol